Telematics services are those services that are provided by a call center to a vehicle and/or to the operator of a vehicle via an automatic and/or on-demand communications link connecting the call center to the vehicle. Some of the more common telematics services include, but are not limited to, turn-by-turn navigation guidance, assistance during times of emergency, cellular telephone services, and the remote monitoring of a vehicle's maintenance requirements. The use of telematics services by vehicle operators has grown steadily since such services first became available.
A vehicle that is capable of providing its driver with such telematics services typically includes an embedded telematics unit that is configured to communicate with a remotely located call center. The remotely located call center is configured, equipped and staffed to provide the above services (and others) to a vehicle operator through communications with the vehicle's embedded telematics unit.
The call center can also provide several services that are actuated by the vehicle's body control module (hereinafter “BCM”). Such BCM-related services include unlocking a vehicle's doors, flashing the vehicle's lights, honking the vehicle's horn, remotely starting the vehicle, and opening the vehicle's trunk. To provide these BCM-related services, the call center instructs the telematics unit to deliver appropriate commands to the BCM. The telematics unit is typically connected to the BCM over a vehicle bus and uses the vehicle bus to transmit these commands. The BCM, which is configured to control the various components on the vehicle that perform each of these additional services (i.e., the vehicle's horn, headlights, door lock motor, etc.), will actuate the appropriate component when the commands are received from the telematics unit. In this manner, a vehicle owner who, for example, has locked their keys inside of the vehicle, can place a phone call to the call center and have the vehicle's doors unlocked by the call center.
Because of the popularity of the above described telematics services, aftermarket telematics units are beginning to enter the market place. Such aftermarket telematics units make it possible for drivers of vehicles that lack an embedded telematics unit to, nevertheless, receive some of the above described telematics services. However, such aftermarket telematics units lack a connection to the vehicle bus which, as described above, is used to deliver commands to the BCM. Hence, aftermarket telematics units may not be enabled to communicate with the BCM and therefore may not be able to provide the BCM-related services described above (i.e., unlocking the vehicle's doors, etc. . . . ). These BCM-related services, however, are highly desirable among vehicle operators.
One possible solution would be to create a connection between the aftermarket telematics unit and the vehicle bus. These solutions, however, may be costly, complicated, or both.